Garda resignations
Deputy O'Donoghue asked about the number of gardaí resigning outside retirement, despite ongoing recruitment and training. The Taoiseach said departures are normal but more data on why officers leave should be gathered, and that recruitment levels are strong.
At present, there are 14,621 gardaí.
There are 621 in training at the moment. The problem is that 180 are resigning outside of retirements. Why does the Taoiseach think this is a problem? It is recurring. We have that amount in training but 180 are resigning every year. That trend has been there over the last two years. Why does the Taoiseach think that is?
Comment on this
There will always be people who will leave a job or occupation. I think there would have to be a survey done of the 189 specifically to ascertain why they decided to leave An Garda Síochána. The good news is we are oversubscribed in terms of applications and there are very healthy numbers going into Templemore on a regular basis now to qualify to become a member of An Garda Síochána. Those coming out of Templemore are then being allocated in fairly sizable numbers. It began with Dublin two years ago. Cork secured a good few, and also Limerick and across the country. Over time, I think there will be a significant increase because of the resources we put behind recruitment to An Garda Síochána. Equally, on retention, we increased the retirement age significantly.